Tractor advise for 90 acre farm

[HEC]

Rbstern,

Jeffy is just exercising his intellectual (actually ineffectual) superiority.


CDB2,
Suggest listening to fellows w/ acreage such as Lou ny and turbys 1700. They are experienced. Jeffy lives in a subdivision, perhaps owns an ajoining lot,

I posted previously, I've mowed my entire farm in the past. If I were doing so again on a semi-annual basis, the minimum I would approach that task with is a tractor/cab, 75 pto hp and a 15 ft batwing rotary mower.

The first ground yellow jacket nest you hit will be very unpleasant in an open station tractor.

You are right about the yellow jacket problem for sure . I have hit a few over the years yet never been stung . I mow with my bucket in the air so I can see under it as my ground is flat . The bucket is black in color if that means anything I don't know, but bees sure hate black bear in my neck of the woods . After I hit the nest the bees just attack the black bucket and I shut off the tractor and run . I go back in an hour or so and they will have gone . I'm not sure if it's because it's black , maybe hot from the sun , or it's up higher than the rest of the tractor or what but that's what happens every time I have hit one and I thank God for that . I agree a cab sure is nice and a bigger mower sure wouldn't hurt if mowing a couple times per year on a big piece of ground . I wanted to be able to keep my m5700 tractor in the garage and couldn't do it with a cab . There were many times a cab would have been great for sure . I use the 2650 for blowing snow now and keeping warm is a great luxury .

 

[cdb2]

I finally got some time to stop by a few dealers (Kubota, Case and Kioti) and look at machines in person.

In general the tractors up to around the 60hp range feel like they are small enough to work in the tighter spaces around the house and buildings. I'm pretty sure I don't want bigger than that for the main stuff I'll be doing.

So, I think I need to decide whether ~60hp will do a passable job cutting the fields. If so I'll go that way, otherwise I'll drop down to a smaller cheaper machine for all the maintenance and chore work and just keep contracting out the field cutting.

 

[OverandOut]

Not sure what your budget is but you may consider the LS tractors they will save you a lot of money and are well built. The also make the compact tractors for New Holland and Case. I was first considering a Kubota M7060 cab and a LS XU6168CPS is about $9,500 cheaper than Kubota and has more options. You may want to look at the XR4155 or XU6168 cab or open. MY second choice was Kubota if I didn't by the LS, Deere is out of the question and other brands I looked at (Mahindra,TYM,Massey) just didn't have good ergonomics or were to expensive.

 

[Richard]

Mowing is your big job.

Use the Mowing Calculator provided in Post #9, then tell us what time commitment you will make to mowing.

I think Jeff makes a good point here.

My situation: I was cutting (guessing) about 100 acres. Land belonged to my father in law & uncle in law. (I lived in the 3rd house on this land)

They had an International 444 (unsure of HP but very moderate) and a 5' cutter.

To be blunt, it took quite a while to cut the place. The last time I cut the farm, it took me nearly all summer.

Mind you, I'm buying the diesel and spending my time to cut THEIR land...

That tractor had to be in 1st gear, low range and would STILL bog down. I finally told my wife that was it. I'm done.

Interestingly, a year later, a (used) International 688 (?) showed up with a Rhino 10' mower.... (seems someone got the hint?)

Now I can cut the place in 4th gear WHILE going up the hills!!! I could cut the place over a weekend now and not feel wiped out by the task.

Unfortunately, father in law passed.... and his son (executor of estate) sold the tractor.... so now, we're out trying to find another because I still refuse to cut this place using that 444. One major difference is today, my wife owns part of the land instead of doing it "for someone else", yet I still refuse to use that 444.

Just too brutal.

 

[deerefan]

I have a 2005 JD 5103 2wd. 42 pto hp, can pull up to a 8ft cutter easily. Its bigger brothers are the 5203 and 5303. Good simple tractors. Bought mine new for 11.5k. Used see them around 9k. If you want more info let me know. Glad to help.

 

[YardBikeBob]

5 years ago I bought a 40hp, 4wd, open station tractor w/loader and, at the time, that would have been sufficient for the tasks described: 6' rotary cutter and patience. 450hrs later no regrets.

Now 50% more HP, a cab, A/C, and a batwing is recommended. I guess grass is thicker now.

 

[cdb2]

Not sure what your budget is but you may consider the LS tractors they will save you a lot of money and are well built.

Thanks, I'm hoping to get to an LS dealer in the next week. They sound like nice tractors. Seems like there are not as many of them or Kioti on the used market around here though.

 

[cdb2]

I have a 2005 JD 5103 2wd. 42 pto hp, can pull up to a 8ft cutter easily. Its bigger brothers are the 5203 and 5303. Good simple tractors. Bought mine new for 11.5k. Used see them around 9k. If you want more info let me know. Glad to help.

That is helpful, would appreciate more info on the setup. Sounds like that would be right in my price range, maybe even with a loader and 4x4.

 

[cdb2]

5 years ago I bought a 40hp, 4wd, open station tractor w/loader and, at the time, that would have been sufficient for the tasks described: 6' rotary cutter and patience. 450hrs later no regrets.

Now 50% more HP, a cab, A/C, and a batwing is recommended. I guess grass is thicker now.

Thanks that's helpful too. Would be good to know how fast you are able to run with the 6' cutter, and how heavy the growth is.

 

[YardBikeBob]

Tractor is a hydro. Use the 'M'iddle gear. I can mow a lot faster than I can run. But speed is not motor/power limited. Mowing speed is a function of how well you want the cut and how rough is the ground. If the grass is real high (maybe 2') and you want a nice, even cut you'll be traveling at a slow walk.

I use a single spindle 6' rotary cutter. Rule of thumb is 5 PTOhp per foot of cutter. I could swing a 7' cutter. However, for technical reasons having to do with tip speed, 6' blades is about the max you should have on a spindle.

My 40hp tractor is well matched to a 6' cutter. I sharpen the blades at the beginning of each season. The first cut is, maybe, 18"+ high. After that I usually cut once it gets 12" high. Running the motor at 2500rpm to get 540 PTO speed. I might loose 100~200 rpm in high grass and throttle up a little.

Again, I'm running 8 to 10 mph if ground not too rough, blade sharp, and grass not too high. I get a nice cut. And that is as fast as anyone with a rotary cutter can go, IMHO.

Stick with the 5hp per implement width and if you go to a 12' batwing now you're into a 70hp tractor to get enough PTO power. You'll mow wider but not faster.

I really like my hydro for loader work. If I was only going to be mowing, a gear tractor might be better. I can't imagine (now) ever having a gear tractor. Hydro is darn convenient.

FYI, as my mowing is often around trees where I want tight turns, I leave it in 2wd. However, 4wd has gotten me unstuck more than once. And those trees is why I like my open station.

Finally, a spring suspension seat is a must as well as cruise control for long mowing sessions. Things are loud; use ear muffs. Extendable rear links (and hydro) make hookups easy.

Your pic shows the grass pretty high. You might contract with someone to hay it for the first cut. Their side cutters, rake, and bailer can knock it down the first time and then you can maintain it afterwords.